"We call on Congress to act immediately to shore up DACA and to allow its protections to continue for the young immigrants who are being unfairly impacted by this decision."

Boulder County, Colo. (Sept. 5, 2017) - The Board of County Commissioners has issued the following statement in regards to the Trump administration's decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program:

Today, we stand with the nearly 800,000
individuals who, through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program,
have been granted an opportunity to earn an education, pursue a career, and
contribute greatly to the economic and social well-being of our
country. "Dreamers" are an important part of our community and
we will fight to support them in their efforts to become permanent residents of
the United States.

Now
that DACA is being rescinded by the Trump administration – putting undocumented
immigrants brought to the U.S. as children at risk of deportation to countries
that they are unfamiliar with and do not consider “home” – we call on Congress
to act immediately to shore up DACA and to allow its protections to continue
for these young people who are being unfairly impacted by this decision.

We
recognize that our immigration system is broken and that we as a country need
to work towards comprehensive immigration reform. DACA is a significant piece
of this reform effort, and we support extending opportunities to children who
may have arrived here undocumented but who are clearly on a path to succeed and
thrive here in the way that immigrants have done throughout our nation’s
history.

A
pathway to legal residency and citizenship for undocumented individuals brought
to the U.S. as children is good public policy. Allowing young immigrants to get
an education, earn higher wages, pay taxes, and contribute productively to our
economy and communities benefits us all in a myriad of positive ways.

These
Dreamers have adopted the U.S. as their home and they are entitled to the right
to remain here and to continue to add to this country’s inclusive and rich
cultural fabric. It is time for Congress to act and to assure protections
for these vital members of our society who were unjustly put at risk today
by the callous actions of the Trump administration.

Yours in service,

Cindy Domenico, County Commissioner

Deb Gardner, County Commissioner

Elise Jones, County Commissioner